MotoGP's push toward an in-helmet radio system cleared a small but meaningful hurdle at the Sachsenring and Silverstone rounds, where Pedro Acosta trialed a revised earplug design that he says finally hits the mark on comfort - as reported on Crash.net.
The audio project is one of the more significant technical shifts on MotoGP's horizon. The system is initially intended to transmit safety messages from Race Direction to riders, with the longer-term ambition of enabling two-way, F1-style communication between rider and pit box. None of that works, however, if riders won't tolerate the hardware in their ears for a race distance. That's where the latest development effort focused, according to Acosta. The Red Bull KTM rider, who has strong preferences when it comes to what goes in his ears, made clear that earlier attempts had fallen short.
"It's the earplugs that Dorna want us to use for the audio, but it was the first test, I would say," Acosta said. "I am a bit special with the earplugs, and they found a good compromise. Quite happy for this." The compromise, as he described it, came down to marrying his preferred plug material with a new custom mold. Acosta has leaned on 3M foam earplugs since the start of his career.
"Normally I like the 3M [foam earplugs], and also they are the ones I have used since I was sixteen," he explained. "They [Dorna] found a way to put the earplugs that I like with a [new custom ear] mould... I was using [the new design] in Sachsenring and here [Silverstone], but I am wearing them because I find them comfortable," he said. "If not, then I would have gone back to the standard ones."
Acosta backed up the positive impressions with a solid weekend on track, taking fifth at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
No Timeline Yet
No date has been set for the introduction of a MotoGP radio system. The comfort feedback from riders like Acosta represents an early step rather than a finished product, and the technical challenge of packaging reliable audio into a helmet at racing speeds remains considerable.
Still, getting the earplug interface right is a necessary foundation. Rider buy-in on comfort has to come before Dorna can layer in the messaging capability, and Acosta's verdict suggests the latest iteration has cleared that first bar. Whether the eventual system stops at one-way safety alerts or evolves into full two-way team communication, the hardware sitting in riders' ears will need to be something they'll accept for an entire race - and by Acosta's account, this version is finally close.
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.